Vanessa Abrahams
Middle School Math & Science Teacher
Vanessa was born in France and raised in a French-speaking family. She studied human development and family science at the University of Rhode Island, with a minor in French and psychology. She has a master’s degree in elementary education and special education from Manhattanville College. Parent of three ACDS children, she says that what she loves about working with Middle School students is “making them curious about the world around them as they begin to ask more questions about science and how it applies to them.” A valley resident and faculty member since 2016, she loves exploring the mountains with her family.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A pediatrician or an architect.
Your favorite place on campus?
The back deck behind the middle school building. You can hear the river and really feel that you are in the mountains.
What was your own grade school like?
I went to Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Connecticut, an all-girls school. And yes, we wore uniforms — a plaid jumper in elementary school, and then in middle school, a kilt.
What’s something you want to do but haven’t yet?
I want to scuba dive in Thailand. And also in Australia. I love to scuba dive.
When is a time you failed at something, and that failure transformed into a success?
When I was in school, there were times when I struggled, but I learned from those struggles. Parenting is something I think I’m always messing up at, but as I raise my kids I learn what does or doesn’t go well. It is a learning process to be a mom!
If you could have dinner with any three people, who?
My dad’s dad, and my great aunt on my dad’s side… and Lee Harvey Oswald. I’ve always been interested in the JFK assassination, and whether it was a conspiracy.
Student Interviewers : Avery L., Cooper R.